


Stitching Wounds

by MisterDay



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Flirting, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Moving On, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterDay/pseuds/MisterDay
Summary: Levi tries to move on with his life, just like Nico did but finds it harder than he imagined. Jo hates the fellow for what he did and does her best to make her friend forget about him, hoping that moving on is the best treatment for his broken heart. She never expected a hot firefighter to be exactly what the young intern needed.
Relationships: Travis Montgomery/Levi Schmitt
Comments: 26
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I hope you will love this pairing. I loved Levi and Nico together, but that was before Nico started acting like a jerk. So I thought about a new pairing because I want Levi to be happy, and here comes Travis :)
> 
> This is just a preview. Next chapter is gonna be fluffier ^^

_Good Luck!_

These were Nico’s last words before he stormed out of Levi’s life completely. At first, the intern hoped he would come back to his senses and begged him to talk just like the last time when he lost Josh. But his hopes didn’t last long after Nico accepted the new job offer and left Grey+Sloan and started travelling all around the country. It didn’t take Levi long to understand it was over, but it did take him long enough to gather up the courage to drop by at Nico’s place to collect his belongings.

When he entered the corridor leading to Nico’s apartment, his heart dropped when he saw a box holding his things, right outside the fellow’s door. At least it saved the young man the torture of facing him while packing. Carefully picking it up, Levi made his way down and let out a deep breath when the cold night air hit his face. He pulled out his phone and called a cab. The car arrived pretty quickly, he jumped in and gave the driver the address. A small part of him knew he should’ve asked Nico to bring his things to the hospital or at his and Jo’s apartment, he shouldn’t have waited days after their breakup to show up at his door to collect his belongings. He knew, yet he still made the wrong choice, and here he was, in a cab, fighting desperately the tears that threatened to fall down.

Glancing at the back of the car, the middle-aged driver saw the conflict in his passenger’s eyes and couldn’t help but ask. “Are you ok, young man?”

Gaze lost, deep in thought, Levi shook his head negatively before muttering absentmindedly. “But, I will be.”

Nodding in agreement, the driver didn’t want to pressure him with an unnecessary conversation that could upset him, so he kept driving. Levi wasn’t lying, he knew this was just a breakup and that the hurt will pass. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that for months, he craved for a man who clearly didn't want him in his life. 

When the car stopped, Levi took his box, said goodbye to the man and hurried inside the building. When he entered the apartment, Jo was on the couch, waiting for him, a big smile on her face. A small part of him wanted to put on a fake smile, he was used to doing that all the time lately, just to keep her smiling. But he didn’t have the force anymore, not tonight. He put the box down and made his way to the couch. He laid down and put his head on her laps, allowing the sobs to shake his whole body.

“Levi, what happened?” Jo asked as she put an arm around him while her other hand caressed his curls.

“I went to Nico’s.” He said, voice shaking with emotion. “To pack the rest of my things.”

“What happened there?” She asked again.

Levi closed his eyes, making more tears running down his cheeks. “He wasn’t there, but he put had put box in front of his door.”

“He what?!” She asked furiously, understanding what that implied.

Levi looked at an invisible point in front of him. “This is all I represent for him. A crate that you can put away easily. Memories that you can erase by snapping your fingers.”

“Oh no!” Jo growled, putting Levi back in a sitting position. “I’m not letting Nico belittle you by his actions. You don’t realize how much you've grown since the first time I met you when you dropped your glasses in a patient’s open abdomen. You deserve better than this douchebag and I’ll repeat it every day until you believe me.”

Levi looked at his new friend and could only think of one thing. “Can you just hold me tonight?”

Jo nodded. She placed his head on the cushion on her laps and searched for a good show to watch. “What are you in the mood for tonight?”

Levi thought about it for a minute. “Something with hot guys in it!”

“Totally!” Jo agreed happily, glad to see Levi could still crack some jokes.

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


During days, Levi accepted to work extra hours at Grey+Sloan to busy himself and stop thinking about Nico. But during this period, he kept receiving notifications from Nico’s Instagram account, showing him how easily the fellow had moved on. Jo had watched his friend the whole time from afar, seeing how he couldn’t help but check his phone and then glare at it. She tried to confiscate the device but to no avail, as soon as he got it back, he started scrolling through Nico’s Instagram account again. Jo couldn’t understand his need to see what was going on in his ex’s life, sure she had a few guesses, but it was just theories. But, whatever the reason was, Levi needed to move on, and that was something she couldn’t do for him.

Moving around the ER, Jo got closer to the nurse’s station, where Levi was currently filling up a chart. 

“Is there something I can do for you, Dr. Wilson?” Levi asked innocently, his pen scribbling the paper pretty quickly.

“Oh, no!” She answered, balancing her hands nervously. “Just checking on my intern. How was your morning?”

Turning the page of his chart, Levi continued scribbling without looking up. “Uneventful I must say.”

“Really?" Jo asked, a frown on her trait. "No interesting small talk with a patient, or… a coworker maybe?”

Slamming his chart close abruptly, Levi turned towards her, an accusatory look on his face. “It was you! I knew it!”

“Levi, I’m so sorry!”

“I can’t believe you did that to me!”

Amelia and Link were passing by and stopped when they saw Levi’s outraged face.

“What’s going on here?” Link asked.

Levi turned towards the Ortho God and pointed his finger at Jo. “She asked Luke, the anesthetist, to ask me out!”

Amelia’s mouth fell open while Link raised an eyebrow at his friend.

“In my defence, he’s hot!” Jo pouted.

“Come on, Jo! I thought Levi was your best friend!” Link said.

“Thank you!” The young intern breathed out.

“But he’s hot!” She repeated.

“But he’s boring!” Her three coworkers repeated in unison.

Smiling, Jo admitted her mistake and apologized again.

“Don’t worry, Schmitt! Multiple traumas on the way! I heard firefighters got hurt.” Link said while walking away, still facing Levi. “And firefighters are hot!”

“And definitely not boring!” Amelia added, mirroring her boyfriend's action before leaving.

Levi watched them retreat, his nose scrunched up in an almost disgusted way. “Is it just me or do they just get weirder each passing day?”

“I think the word you’re searching for is ‘in love’,” Jo replied.

“It’s the same! Look at Nico, he never got weird!” Levi exclaimed with a mocking smile on his face.

Nodding her head, Jo replied. “I think part of the healing process would be to stop talking or thinking about Nico for a while. What do you think?”

“Oh, so the ‘let’s-introduce-weird-guys-to-Levi’ healing step is over?”

“Sorry!” Jo winced. “I guess I really wanted you to stop thinking about him and by extension, stopping you from checking your phone every five minutes when you’re at work.”

This time, it was Levi who cringed under the criticism. “Ok! No more watching my phone for today!” He replied while leaving to wait for the ambulances.

Jo watched him leave and glanced at the nurse on her right. “One step at a time?” She asked and the nurse nodded, a small smile on her face. They shared one last look and sighed in unison. “Interns!”

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Soon, the ER was full of injured people. Levi, Jo and Link treated minor injuries while Amelia went on a big surgery. The first responders reacted quickly and brought in the victims of a collapsed building before it was too late. Between smoke inhalation, broken bones and shallow injuries, Levi and the rest of the doctors didn’t have time to take a break. When the ER was less crowded, the last patients to get checked up were the firefighters.

“Levi!” Jo exclaimed as she rushed by his sides at the nurse’s station. “I need a favour!”

Glancing at his friend, Levi raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like I’m not gonna like it?”

Jo looked perplexed for a second before sighing. “Alright, I have a patient to stitch up but then Link paged me for surgery.”

“And you want me to take the surgery?” He asked, knowing the answer to that question.

“No! We switch! You take my patient that I moved to the Exam Room 3 and I take the surgery!”

Levi shook his head slowly. “How mean of you!

She squealed in delight before dropping her patient’s chart on the counter and walked.

“I hate you!” He yelled with a smile.

“Love you more!” She replied her back facing him.

Glancing at the nurse in front of him, they nodded and whispered. “Attendings!” Then he took the chart and headed towards his new patient.

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO** _

Hidden in a corner with Link, Jo watched Levi move to the Exam Room 3.

“Do you think it will work?” Link asked.

“I just pushed him in the arms of a sexy, hot, single man! It better work!”

Leaning his back against the wall, Link mused to himself. “Still, it wasn’t nice to lie about a big surgery we don’t have! I’m sure you broke his little surgeon’s heart!”

Sending him a dark glare, Jo replied. “Should we talk about how your best friend Nico already broke his heart by treating like shit?”

Sensing the change of humor, Link raised his hands in the front of him and backed away slowly.

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Entering the room, nose up in his chart, Levi closed the door behind him before looking at his patient. When their eyes met, Levi swore his heart skipped a beat, or two. In the small exam room, a man was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless, his tone body covered in soot and blood. Despite the open wound on his left pectoral, the man was smiling.

Realizing he was slightly drooling, Levi composed himself. “Hi, I’m Dr. Schmitt and obviously, I’m gonna replace Dr. Wilson for your stitches.” He ended his introduction by a nervous laugh.

He cursed himself for looking so awkward but judging by the way the other man was smiling, maybe he didn’t look like a complete fool.

“Hi!” The man said, mouth slightly agape.

Levi was about to say something when someone in the room cleared his throat. Turning his attention on his left, the young intern saw a little group he should have spotted right away when he entered. They were all firefighters. 

“Hello there!” He greeted them with a small raise of his hand.

The group smiled and waved at him before a petite blonde spoke.

“You’ll have to forgive Travis, every time a cute man enters his perimeter he goes all…stupid.”

Still smiling, it took a few seconds for Travis to realize what his colleague said and protested.

“Is anybody else injured?” Levi inquired while taking a stool a positioning himself in front of Travis.

“No, we just wanted to keep company to this big baby!” The same blonde answered, making her whole team laugh.

“And now that the doctor’s here, you can all go out!” Travis interjected.

Another woman approached, Levi quickly read ‘Hughes’ on her shirt. “I can see why you want to be alone now." She mocked him.

“Please, captain!” Travis pleaded.

The captain hid his smirking mouth behind his hand before taking a deep breath, regaining his seriousness. “Alright ladies, you can wait outside.”

The three women looked at their captain with a shocked expression and crossed their arms, not willing to leave now that it could be interesting.

“Captain’s order!” He said firmly.

Mouths opened in an outrageous way, the three women huffed and left the room, leaving Levi alone with Travis, the latter’s captain and his colleagues. Feeling somehow more at ease, Levi put on his gloves and inspected the wounds. Due to its location, the intern couldn’t reach it without standing, so he pushed the stool away and stood up.

“Alright, can you spread your legs a little for me?”

Levi’s question was met with a choking sound from behind him, followed by coughings. Miller wasn’t ready to hear something like that and was visibly choking on his saliva. Levi, embarrassed by his own question, blushed and tried to focus back on Travis who looked at him sheepishly.

“Don’t mind them,” He whispered before spreading his legs a little.

Glancing down, Levi smiled nervously and took a step forward. Travis’s breath hitched when Levi’s face was barely a few inches away from his, so close they could feel the other’s breath on their skin. Keeping on the nervous smile, Travis silently asked his heart to stop beating so fast. Levi wasn’t a regular man, he was a doctor and would probably notice the erratic rhythm of his heart just by looking at his neck. Fortunately for the firefighter, Levi was focusing on cleaning his wound before he could start stitching him up. Risking a glance at his team, Travis saw Miller giving him a weird look. Raising an eyebrow at him, he silently asked what the hell he was doing, but his friend started bending his head on the side, clearly asking him to start the conversation.

Sensing his distress, Sullivan decided to help him. “So, Dr. Schmitt! How long have you been working here?”

Putting away the dirty compresses, Levi allowed himself to look at the fire captain. “I’ve been working here for three years now!” He answered excitedly.

Smiling at the young man’s enthusiasm, Sullivan continued. “Do you like it here?”

“I love it!” He answered without skipping a beat. “Being an intern is tough but it’s worth it, especially when you work at Grey+Sloan.”

“Wait, you’re an intern?”

“Yeah!” Levi answered, not sure how to respond. “Why?”

Surprisingly, it was Travis who spoke first. “It’s just you look… talented for just an intern.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Miller giving him a thumbs up.

Levi’s beautiful smile came back on his face as his cheeks reddened. He tried to hide his flushed cheeks by looking down at the floor, but, when he looked back up, their eyes locked and neither of them could look away. Their closeness making it difficult for them to breathe steadily.

Across the room, the four other men tried not to intrude on their moment. Feeling slightly embarrassed, they tried to look away, in every possible direction. When Gibson decided to clear his throat, his friend and the intern snapped out of their trance. Their little moment over, Levi started doing the stitches to keep his mind occupied. Their position was so intimate that Travis had to fight the want to put his hands on Levi’s hips and bring him closer. Wincing when the intern did the first stitch, Travis gripped the edge of the bed tightly.

“So, um, Dr. Schmitt,” Gibson said, searching for a good question to fill up the silence. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Oh my God!” Travis moaned, throwing his head back, eyes closed.

“What? I’m just asking! He’s young, cute and is a doctor. You probably have men throwing themselves at you!”

Instead of feeling embarrassed, Travis felt Levi stiffen at the question and realized it must be a sensitive point for the young man. Before he could say something, Levi answered the question.

“I had a boyfriend. He broke up with me a few weeks ago.”

“Sorry, man! I didn’t know!”

Levi just shrugged. “It’s ok! He was kind of an ass towards the end, so…”

“Better off without him, huh?” Jack finished.

The intern huffed out a laugh and agreed.

“Do you miss him?” 

Taken aback by Travis’ question, Levi looked up at him, a quizzical look on his face. His mouth slightly agape, he tried to come up with an answer. “It’s ok, you don’t have to answer! I’m just being intrusive!”

“No!” Levi exclaimed a little too loud. “It’s just complicated.”

“How so?”

Thinking about it, Levi tried to put what he felt into words. “When I started here, I got a bad nickname for something I did in the OR.”

“What was that?” Miller asked, interested, before being elbowed in the ribs by Warren.

Pressing his lips together, Levi tried not to laugh about it yet. “Before I started as an intern here, I got a tour of the whole hospital. Dr. Webber showed us the Operating Room during Dr. Wilson’s surgery. I had glasses at the time and when I bowed my head down, my glasses dropped inside the patient’s open abdomen. After that, everybody started calling me Glasses.”

Instead of being mocked as he expected, the fire team looked shocked but quizzical.

“What does it have to do with your ex?”

Looking down on Travis’ left pectoral, Levi lost his smile. “When I finally started my internship here, I already had that reputation sticking to me like glue. I had to work extra hard to prove them wrong. Then, Nico arrived and made it worse at first.” 

“Let me guess, he was so sexy that it made you lost your composure. Doesn’t surprise me.” Travis laughed.

“Would it surprise you if I told you that before him I thought I was straight.”

“No!” Travis said incredulously.

His shocked face made Levi laugh who had to tell the truth. “Well, not really. I always had doubts but it’s not until he kissed me that I realized.”

“So he was your first,” Travis stated.

Levi nodded, continuing his stitches. “He changed me, helped me grow more confident, both in my personal and professional life.”

“So, what went wrong?”

With one swift movement, Levi finished his stitches and looked back up at the firefighter. “I’m afraid that is a story for another time.”

“Is there gonna be another time?” Travis beamed as Levi who took a step back.

“Well, considering your line of work, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.” He replied, a small smile tugging on his lips as he headed for the door.

“And what if I wanted this next time to be outside the hospital?”

Freezing at the question, Levi looked at the wounded man, sadness dancing in his eyes. “You’re a good man Travis. You shouldn’t waste your time on someone like me.”

Without letting the chance for the firefighter to reply, Levi opened the door and left as quickly as he came. Dean waited a few seconds before sitting beside Travis on the bed and putting his arm around his shoulders.

“What does he mean by ‘someone like him’?” Travis asked, still looking at the door.

“There’s only one way to find out!” Dean replied, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

“Oh, yeah! And how am I gonna do that? I can’t show up at the hospital like a creeper and with that wound, I’m gonna have to stay home and rest.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t show up at the firehouse.” Sullivan simply said.

Dean and Travis looked at their captain, frowning. “What?” They asked in unison.

“Do you want to see him again, Montgomery?”

“Yes!”

“Then, drop by the firehouse tomorrow. I have a plan.” He simply answered before walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to share these posts that the author OnTheGround2012 found on tumblr. Like he said, it's worth sharing.
> 
> Golden Rules for Fanfiction Readers!
> 
> If the fic already has a thousand comments, comment still. Your comment matter and delight the author.  
> If a fic is a decade old and the author hasn’t been active in the last five years, comment sill. There will come a time when the author will read and cherish your comment, or maybe it will motivate them enough to start writing again. You never know!  
> If the author never responds to comments, comment still. Interaction with the author is a very nice bonus, but you can be sure that even if the author doesn’t answer, they will read it and enjoy it at some point.  
> There’s no such thing as a too-long comment.  
> There’s no such thing as a too incoherent comment.  
> The author will give no flying fuck about any grammatical errors, typo or other misspellings. If you’re a non-native speaker struggling to express themselves, you can be sure the author will be all the more pleased that you surmounted the language barrier to let them know you appreciated their work. Don’t be afraid!  
> There’s no such thing as commenting too often.  
> You will never, ever come across as creepy by obsessing over a fic or an author to the point where you worry the author might think you’re a stalker. On the contrary, the author will be delighted by your investment in their work.  
> Say thank you. It’s always appreciated to see readers acknowledge the work and commitment that is put into writing.  
> The floaty review box (ao3 add-on) is your friend.  
> Be positive and encouraging. Positive reviews make writers all warm and glowy from the inside, bashing plunges their soul into icy darkness. You want the first, not the second!  
> Whoever you are, if you read their fic, You are IMPORTANT to the author. Let them know you’re there!
> 
> How to comment/praise writers and influence fics
> 
> So, that’s all good, but what do you actually say to writers? It doesn’t have to be much or take a lot of time.
> 
> A simple “This is great/funny/hot!” is wonderful. “Best fic I’ve read this week!” “Funny as hell and cute too.” “You have to read this, it’s awesome!” “I can’t wait for more of this.” “I hope you keep going!” These are great in reblogs and in messages.
> 
> Even better is specific feedback. We love specific feedback, because it tells us what readers liked and what they didn’t. Want to influence our next fic? Tell us what you liked about this one and I bet you it will keep showing up! Specific feedback is just telling the writer what you liked. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, either. (But if you write a lot, we will love you so much.)
> 
> Was there a character you liked? Talk about them: “I love how you wrote X” “Y was so funny!” “OMG I wanted to STRANGLE Q!” “You can really feel X’s frustration.” “Y has so much depth, they’re a really well-rounded character.” “R says so much with so few words, it’s amazing.”
> 
> What about a part or line you enjoyed? “That bit in the park- LOVE IT.” “I have never read a better description of a cup of tea.” “The way you wrote about his fear, that was heartbreaking.”
> 
> Was there a part that made you feel something? Happy, sad, angry? “That last sentence killed me, he’s so broken.” “I wanted to jump around when they finally kissed!” “This chapter was so tense, my heart was pounding by the end.”
> 
> Did the characters or plot or setting remind you of your life? “I live in Brussels, that’s just how that street looks.” “When Y talked about R, I knew exactly how he felt.” “You captured that lost, aimless feeling perfectly; I’ve so been there.”
> 
> Are there unanswered questions? Mention how much you want the answers. “I can’t wait to find out what’s in the basket!” “That was a cliffhanger ending, wow.” “How is she going to explain THAT?” (some writers are touchy about predicting, though, so stay away from “I bet he’ll throw that letter out.” or “X is clearly coming back.”)
> 
> A few closing notes: be enthusiastic if that’s your style, go crazy with exclamation marks, smileys, caps! Tell a writer if you’re rereading their work- very little makes us happier than knowing our writing has the staying power for a second, third, sixth, tenth read. Did a reread give you a new insight or feeling about the fic? Tell us! We will be so excited to hear. And remember, recommendations are wonderful- putting up a random post tagging your favorite writers or fics you’re enjoying will show the writers that they’re writing is more than a flash in the open and they’ll get some new readers too!
> 
> We can’t do this writing thing without you guys. So thank you so much! Without readers, we’re just talking to ourselves. We love and appreciate you for reading- but we need to know you’re doing it. We need feedback like we need air. Don’t let your favorite writers suffocate! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I'm so happy to present to you this last chapter! It gave me troubles XD
> 
> In this chapter I wanted to introduce another couple, I would like to try but since I had no idea if you would like it, it is just mentioned and if you like it I had already some stories planned for them.
> 
> Well, it's time for Travis and Levi to get together ;)

Travis thought about the cute Dr. Schmitt all night long. He fantasized about his curls, dreamed he could card his fingers through them and feel their softness tickling his palm. He remembered his emerald orbs, looking at him with such innocence it made his heart flutter. It amazed him how this one man could have such a hold on him. Sure, Grant made him feel things too, but these feelings seemed so shallow compared to the ones he felt when he looked at the young intern. The problem was, will they be able to give in to their feelings? It took Travis a long time to finally let go of the past and had his first try of a serious relationship with Grant and it felt good. But Levi hadn’t moved on yet and he wondered why? From what he saw, it didn’t end well, so maybe he shouldn’t be so forward with the young man. Or maybe, if he was unhappy, a new relationship can be what he needs.

Sighing deeply, Travis watched the hours go by. In the early hours of the morning, he gave up on the idea of getting at least an hour or two of sleep. He got out of bed, put on a simple tee-shirt, a short and took out his running shoes. If he could not sleep, at least a jog will help clear his mind. 

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Sipping his coffee slowly, Warren kept glancing at his watch every five seconds. Jack tried not to get irritated by his friend’s antics but the more Warren looked at his watch, the harder it became for Jack not to boil. Jaw clenched, he tried the ‘happy thought’ bullshit to cool down but it didn’t work. 

Then it happened…

Tired of waiting on a corner, alone, Warren joined them at the table, his leg bouncing uncontrollably. He was as excited as a kid at the approach of Christmas.

“Could you stop that?” Gibson asked, not raising his head from his meal.

“Stop what?” Warren asked innocently, a big smile on his face.

“Bouncing your leg!” He snapped back, sighed and muttered. “And looking stupid.”

Dean, who was reading a novel, looked up to raise an eyebrow at his friend. They were just impatient to help Travis have another shot with Dr. Schmitt after all. “Well, someone’s grumpy today. What’s wrong, man?”

Realizing he must look especially grumpy today, he tried to take back a neutral expression. “I’m fine!”

Glancing at each other, Warren and Dean then looked at Gibson and shook their head in unison. 

“I know you,” Dean said. “We’re best friends! We’re connected.”

Gibson nodded, lips pressed tight. “The only connections I see are my hands connecting with the back of your heads, you dumbells!” He almost yelled before getting up to put his bowl in the sink.

“What’s going on here?” Sullivan asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Nothing, cap! Somebody’s just a little grumpy!” Dean singsonged. 

Before Gibson had a chance to deny that, Sullivan answered. “I can see that. What’s wrong Gibson?”

As he asked the question, three heads turned their attention towards him. Sighing, Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and admitted. “It's nothing! I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Dean asked, suddenly forgetting about Travis.

“It’s Ryan!” He sighed loudly, hoping this simple information was enough for them to understand.

“What’s wrong with Ryan?” Travis interrupted them as he entered the kitchen. He was out of breath and sweaty.

All faces turned towards Travis and frowned. They were glad to see him but they found it weird he came in so early. But, judging that the answer to that question could wait, Dean turned back towards his best friend. “Yes, man! What’s wrong with Ryan?”

“Nothing’s wrong with him, that’s the problem!”

Sharing a quick glance, the four men just shrugged, not knowing what Jack meant. Seeing his friends’ dumbfounded expression, Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly and that’s when Travis thought he got what was wrong.

“Oh! I see…” 

“See what?” Dean asked.

“That Ryan was insatiable last night,” Travis said out loud.

As the realization hit the group, they decided not to embarrass their friend even more and started looking everywhere but at him.

“How many times?” Travis couldn’t help but ask, curiosity devouring him.

The two shared a look before Jack replied. “Three times.” 

“ **_Three times!_ ** ” They all shouted, astounded.

Jack nodded before rubbing his eyes once more. “That’s right! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need some sleep.” He walked away but muttered on his way. “Wake me up in…” He paused to look at his watch. “12 hours.”

Once he was gone, Travis, Dean and Miller, shocked by the admission, had their mouth wide open, gaze lost in the void.  Andy arrived at that moment. She spotted Travis right away and was about to greet him when she saw the shocked expression on his face. Making her way over the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee, she saw the same facial expression on Dean and Warren.

“What’s going on, guys?” Andy asked.

“Ryan’s been insatiable with Gibson last night....” Travis started.

“So what?” Andy interrupted him with a scoff before sipping her coffee, not surprised.

“Three times!” He finished.

Andy spat all her coffee on the counter in shock before turning towards him. “Three times?”

Instead of answering, they all nodded slowly.

“Damn! Is that a gay thing? The enhanced stamina, I mean.”

“I wish it was!” Travis answered.

Nodding absentmindedly, she excused herself and head for the locker room.

“What are you doing here by the way?” Dean asked Travis now he recovered from the shock of the news.

Looking confused, Travis looked at his captain. “Well, you asked me to drop by, didn’t you?”

“I did, we just weren’t expecting you this early.” Sullivan laughed.

A sheepish look on his face, Travis rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I couldn’t sleep either.” He admitted before taking a seat at the table.

“What’s gotten you so worked up?” Dean asked, a soft smile spreading his lips. “Let me guess, green eyes, chestnut curls, shy smile…”

“Yes!” Travis exclaimed with a goofy smile on his face. “I thought about Dr. Schmitt all night. Above all, because I can’t shake the fear that he might not be ready for a relationship so soon after his breakup.”

“Well, if you want to convince him it’s worth taking the risk, we better start now.” Sullivan smiled.

Judging by the dangerous grin on his Captain's face, Travis guessed he wasn't gonna like the idea and asked. “Start what?”

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Laying on his back, lips pressed tight in a pained expression and face soaked by sweat, Travis tried to control his breathing despite the monstrous effort he was doing. “Just so you know,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m asking for a transfer at the end of the day. I hate you all!”  His irritated slur earned him scoffs from his team as they circled him.

“Come on, Montgomery! Don’t be a baby! Do you want to see Dr. Schmitt again?” Sullivan asked.

“I do!” He replied without skipping a beat.

“That’s the spirit! Now push!”

Letting out a low growl, Travis tried his best to lift the bar by pushing as hard as he could. He should have seen it coming the moment Sullivan led him in the training room, should’ve known it wouldn’t end well for him. Now, here he was, on his back, lifting weights while his supposed friends were encouraging him. 

“Remind me again why I’m doing this?” Travis asked again.

“Simple!” Warren replied. “You lift the weights…”

“The effort will rip out the stitches,” Dean added.

“And we call Grey+Sloan so they can send Dr. Schmitt here to stitch you up… again.” Sullivan ended.

“Oh yeah?! Well, I hate your plan!”

Sullivan was standing behind him, ready to help Travis if needed. Dean and Warren, on each side of Travis, kneeled down.

“Come on, Montgomery! You can do it!” Sullivan said.

Dean and Warren looked dead-on at Travis and exclaimed in unison. “Push, push, push!”

"Shut up! I'm not pregnant!"

“What’s going on here?” A voice came from behind the captain.

The three men turned abruptly towards the intruder. Vic stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a quizzical look on her face. Mirroring her attitude, Sullivan blocked her from seeing Travis while Dean and Warren tried to act nonchalant.

“Is everything ok in here?” She asked with a small smile, hearing the gruntings behind the men.

“Of course!” Warren scoffed.

Not buying their lie, Vic squinted at them. “You’re up to something!”

“We are busy here, Hughes. So, if you don’t know what to do, I put you on chores duty.”

Vic looked at her captain in what she hoped was an intimidating way, to no avail.

“Will you make me say it?” He asked.

Growling in frustration, she left the room to avoid hearing him say ‘ _ Captain’s orders _ ’. As soon as she was out of sight, the three men let out a heavy sigh of relief. Sharing a quick glance, the three men chuckled, almost forgetting about their friend.

“Guys! Help!”

Turning around, they smiled proudly when they saw Travis’ wound bleeding through the shirt.

“I’ll call Miranda!” Warren said as he left the room.

Dean raised his head automatically at his friend’s statement, thinking of the possible outcome of this phone call he chased after him. “Do you think Dr. Pierce can accompany him? Two doctors are better than one, right?”

Sullivan watched the two firefighters leave the room and chuckled, looking down at Travis. “Good job, Montgomery!”

“Cap!” Travis grunted before eying the bar. “Help?”

Realizing what his firefighter meant, he quickly helped to put away the bar. Travis let his arms fall to his sides with a loud growl.

“I think I’m dying, cap!”

“Wait for Dr. Schmitt first,” Sullivan replied, patting his shoulder.

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Entering the ER, Levi didn’t know what to expect for today. It was the beauty of his job, he guessed, the fact that every day is different and monotony is an unknown word in a surgeon’s vocabulary. Some say it was exciting. Three years as an intern and the word Levi would choose was stressful, that’s why he was mocked by his peers. It bothered him at first. Doctor Grey was a legend and the other attendings were amazing, Levi used to look up to them, admire them. But the more he saw them, the more the pedestal he put them on disappeared. Levi loved being a doctor, but unlike them, he didn’t look to the next trauma with a big smile on his face, thinking about the upcoming exciting surgery he could perform. No, Levi cared for his patient, he liked listening to their unique stories and what kind of person they were and he always gave them his best.

“Schmitt!” A voice startled him.

Looking to his right, he saw Meredith Grey coming his way, an unreadable look on her face. What did he do this time?

“Morning, Dr. Grey!” He greeted her.   
“Bailey wants to see you, don’t ask why I don’t know nor do I care!” She said before leaving.

Looking in the void where she stood seconds ago, Levi got ready for what was to come. Crossing the ER, he checked the first place where he thought he could find the chief since Dr. Grey didn’t have the decency to tell him where she was. He arrived in front of the big whiteboard but she wasn't there. Sighing deeply, Levi was about to ask one of the nurses if she knew where she was when his pager went off. It was from Dr. Bailey, asking him to come to her office.

When he finally faced the door, he took a long breath and entered.

“You needed to see me?”

Looking up from her agenda, Miranda smiled. “Dr. Schmitt! I paged you to give you your assignment for today.”

“Am I not in Peds today?”

“Yes you are, but before you start your day in Peds, I need to send you to Station 19.”

Station 19 was her husband’s station, Levi remembered because he treated one of their firefighters yesterday. “What do they need us for?”

“They need someone to stitch up a firefighter named Travis Montgomery,” she replied, knowing the name will ring a bell in Levi’s mind.

“Travis Montgomery was my patient yesterday. Wasn’t he supposed to be resting?”

“Why don’t you go ask him the question?”

Levi nodded and turned to leave, but stopped midway. “Why me?”

Miranda expected that question, so the answer came out quickly. “They asked for you. Don’t ask why I don’t know nor do I care!”

Snickering at the remark he already heard five minutes before, Levi got out of the office and headed for Station 19.

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Sitting on a couch at the reception, Travis watched Andy pacing back and forth in the lobby shouting Spanish curses. It happened so quick, one minute he was taken to the reception while Warren was calling his wife to send here Dr. Schmitt, the next minute, Vic saw him, saw the blood and alerted Maya and Andy. When they asked why, Travis and the others didn’t want to admit it was their twisted plan to get Dr. Schmitt to come to the firehouse so Travis could ask him out. Instead, the wounded man just said he didn’t want to become rusty so he decided to drop by and ask Sullivan and the others to help him. That’s when the cursing started.

A hand on his bleeding pectoral, Travis bend slightly towards Sullivan on his left and asked in a whisper. “Is she gonna kill me?”

“Don’t worry, the curses are for me,” he chuckled.

“It sounds scary, what is she saying?”

“Believe me, you don’t wanna know,” Sullivan replied with a scoff.

Judging it was in his best interest not to talk unless he had a good plan, Travis thought maybe he could play the pain card. When she turned his back on them, he put on a pained expression and started hissing. Andy immediately turned towards him and stepped closer.

“What’s wrong, Trav? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“No, the doctor is on his way, don’t worry, it just hurt.”

Deep down, he knew he was acting like a baby but judging by the way she stopped cursing to sat beside him and comfort him, he’d say mission accomplished. Risking a glance at his captain, he saw the man giving him a thumb up and Travis had to admit, he was proud of himself.  After a few minutes of complaining about the pain, the front door opened, letting in Dr. Schmitt. The young intern didn’t have to look far to find his patient as Travis was immediately on his feet and moved in front of him, a goofy smile plastered on his face.

“I heard someone here hurt himself when he was supposed to be resting.”

Raising his hand, Travis beamed. “That’s me!”

“I can see that,” Levi chuckled, pointing out the blood staining his shirt. “Mind if I take a look?”

“Absolutely not!” He answered eagerly as he took off his shirt with one swift movement.

On the other side of the room, Vic, shocked by what she saw, whispered to Maya. “I can’t believe it! Two minutes ago he was acting like he was about to lose his arm and now he almost ripped off his shirt!”

“I guess that’s Dr. Schmitt’s charm acting up!” Maya snickered.

Guiding the firefighter towards the couch, Levi made him sat down while he grabbed a stool he spotted on his right and place himself in front of Travis. 

“Alright, you know the drill,” he said.

Grinning, Travis spread his legs a little so Levi can move forward and examine the open wound. Andy and Sullivan got up and moved to the other side of the room.

“It’s a weird coincidence, don’t you think?” Andy asked her captain. “I would’ve thought Grey+Sloan would send here a nurse to stitch Trav up. But instead of a nurse, they sent an intern, same intern who treated Travis yesterday.”

Looking at their captain’s stoned-face, Warren and Dean tried to mirror his attitude but to no avail. Turning his face towards Herrera, Sullivan just grinned.

“Come on, tell me the truth!” She pleaded, touching his strong arm.

Warren and Dean snickered, thinking that their captain would never tell, but when they looked up and saw the flinch on Sullivan’s face, they knew they were screwed. 

“Maybe, they just wanted to send the same doctor because he did a good work the first time," he answered a small quiver in his voice.

She was so close to him now that he could smell her delicate perfume. Her hand continued to trace small patterns on his toned arm. “Maybe?” She asked in a sultry voice.

But this question wasn’t really a question, Sullivan knew it. It was a trap, one he had no chance to escape. His only issue was to tell the truth. “Or maybe,” he started whispering so the intern couldn’t hear him. “It was a plan so that Travis could see Dr. Schmitt again.”

Raising an eyebrow at the Captain, Andy asked. “He didn’t ask him out yesterday?”  Sullivan shook his head.  “So you’re plan was to hurt Travis so he could finally ask Dr. Schmitt out once he would be here?”

Thinking about how she formulated her plan, he wanted to protest but ended up nodding. But instead of hearing her complain about the stupidity of their plan or cursing him once again for how dangerous it was, she just smiled at him. It was the kind of smile he knew all too well.

“You are a big softie after all.”

Raising an eyebrow at her, he smirked. “I’m not that soft.”

Her smile turned wolfish as she tiptoed to whisper in his ear. “Prove it!” Without waiting for a nod, she headed for the locker-room, soon followed by Sullivan.

“Are they gonna…” Warren started.

“Christened a room I spent an hour cleaning?” Maya asked. “Yes, they are!”

“Ouch!” Travis’ voice echoed in the room as Levi finished to take out the previous stitches.

“Alright! Now, let’s clean the wound… again!”

As soon as Levi put his hands on his torso, Travis’ breath hitched, marvelling at how it felt to be touched by him.

“Are you ready to talk about how you injured yourself when you were supposed to be resting?” Levi asked, eyes focused on his task

“It’s stupid, really! I didn’t want to become rusty so I thought I could keep on working out, even a bit until I get back to active duty.”

“You’re right! That was stupid!” Levi joked with him.

“Hey! Gotta keep that shoulders broad!”

Bending his head down, Levi tried to hide his flushed cheeks but in vain. Travis loved to make him blush and it seemed pretty easy to do so. Glancing at his friends behind the doctor, they all gave him thumbs up.

“So, Dr. Schmitt,” Travis said after a few seconds of silence. “Since I got you out of the hospital, can I know your name?”

Putting away the dirty compresses, Levi looked up to meet Travis’ gaze. “Levi.”

“Levi,” Travis repeated to himself, wanting to enjoy the feeling of his name rolling off his tongue. “Yesterday, you promised me a story for another time.”

Stopping what he was doing, Levi looked at Travis with a knowing smile. “So that’s why you hurt yourself!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Travis faked innocence. “I’d be a horrible person if I hurt myself on purpose just to lure you here. No, I’m just a wounded man, trying to find a way not to think about the needle and the pain.”

Levi looked at the faked pain expression on Travis' face and laughed. He was so different from Nico. Nico! Thinking about the fellow killed his smile instantly. Travis noticed the change in his attitude but didn’t push his luck as Levi started redoing his stitches.

“I don’t know,” He said after a few seconds of silence. “I really don’t know what went wrong between us. He changed so abruptly I didn’t see it coming. Well, I think I didn’t want to see it.”

Travis was scared to push him to continue so he let Levi decide what to say next.

“We had our ups and downs like every couple.” He stopped and thought about every difficulty they had to overcome before laughing bitterly. “I stupidly thought that after Josh, a patient Nico accidentally killed, after coming out to my mom, after becoming more confident as a doctor, after everything, I thought we got closer, stronger.”

“Why stupidly?” Travis asked. “Every obstacle you face and overcome does make you stronger.”

“That’s what I thought until I wanted to take our relationship to the next level, until Nico’s parents came into town. From this moment, things started to get worse.”

“Worse?” Travis asked.

Nodding while continuing his stitches, Levi answered. “I wanted him to introduce me to his parents but he refused because he wasn’t out to them. It was a shock for me. I tried to talk to him, many times, but every time I did, he shut me up with sex. I was so scared to lose him that I didn’t protest. In the end, I felt like a human mattress.”

Behind them, Travis’ team looked upset, disappointed in this doctor’s attitude.

“I think a part of him wanted to have both his parents and me, so he kept me like a dirty secret,” Levi continued. “But I wanted more, so I tried to have a normal conversation again, and this time, instead of running away, he wished me good luck before taking a new job to travel all around the country.”

Travis watched the intern rapidly finished the stitches like he was feeling so vulnerable he wanted nothing more than to flee and hide forever. Mustering up all his courage, Travis put his hands on Levi’s waist, holding him in place. The young man flinched under the touch and locked gaze with Travis’.

“Moving on is tough, trust me, I know how hard it is. You have an invisible wound that needs stitches too, just like mine.”

A humourless laugh escaped Levi’s lips. “But mine is harder to stitch up than yours.”

“Only if you decide to make it harder," Travis replied, looking intently at the intern. “But Levi, these wounds don’t heal on their own. You can’t do it alone.”

Understanding the double meaning of his advice, Levi tensed and started acting as a doctor, almost coldly. “Well, I finished redoing your stitches. You’ll have to change the dressing two times a day and rest until the wound is all healed.”

Gathering his things, Levi tried to get out of Travis’ hold, but the firefighter kept him in place.  “Please, Levi!” He begged, putting his forehead against his, eyes closed.

The young man stilled and put his right hand over Travis wounded pectoral. “No,” he whispered. “I can’t!”

“Travis!” Maya called out. “Let him go.”  Travis obeyed reluctantly and watched the intern Levi the station. 

Andy and Sullivan arrived at that moment, smiling and a bit flushed.  “So? How did it go?” Andy asked. “Did you get his number?”

Her smile faded when she saw Travis’ clenched jaw and the murderous look in his eyes. Picking up his stained shirt, he threw it angrily in the bin and headed to the locker room to take a shower and change clothes. Andy was about to chase after him but the alarm went off. Running towards the trucks and the aid car, the team left the station, hoping to be back before Travis leaves.

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Hours later, the team came back to the station and started searching for Travis. Andy found him first in the kitchen. She sat beside him in silence. The others had told her how it went, what Levi told him and she didn’t what to say or do to make him feel better, though she highly doubted he could feel better right now. 

“How can someone do awful things to the person they love?” He muttered.

Not knowing if the question was for her or just for himself, she still answered. “Sometimes you don’t realize how much you hurt someone. You act like yourself and all it takes is a selfish decision and you hurt someone. No one’s perfect. Michael surely wasn’t.”

Travis nodded with a chuckle. “No he wasn’t, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was a good man. I had such a happy relationship I didn’t think that not all of us can say the same.” He stopped and thought back to what Levi said. “If only I could make him believe that he deserves to be happy. If he could just give me a chance.”

“Then tell him!” Andy replied.

“It’s not that simple!”

“You’re right!” A voice startled them both, looking at the entrance of the kitchen they saw Warren. “Sometimes words are just… words! If you want to convince him, prove it!”

The two friends looked at each other until a grin appeared on Travis’ face. “You’re right!”

He was about to get up when Warren stopped him. “Just so you know, I have a spy at the hospital saying a certain intern’s shift ends at 8 o’clock. Gives you plenty of time to prepare what you’ll tell him.”

  
  
  


**_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_ **

  
  
  


Travis spent the rest of the day at the station, thinking about all the things he was gonna say to the young man. Around him, the team came up with different plans to get the doctor to fall for him, but he wasn’t listening. He tried to convince himself it was because what they offered didn’t feel like something he’d naturally do, but it was mostly because they were more arguing than discussing, each one thinking their plan was the best. The only moments of peace and quiet he had were when the team went on calls. During these moments, Travis closed his eyes and enjoy the silence. He wasn’t sure if planning all the things to do or say was a good thing. Levi was making him too nervous, he’d forget everything the moment he saw him.

The sky was dark and growling when Travis left the station, rain was about to pour on Seattle. A smile spread on his lips as he looked at the dark sky, Travis mused at how, in his mind, rainy nights were associated with romance. Maybe he watched too many romantic films or maybe a rainy night was romantic but not just for him. The hospital wasn’t so far from the station, in fact, it was so close they could see it from the firehouse. Taking the street back up, Travis arrived at Grey+Sloan ten minutes before the end of Levi’s shift. This was the main exit, so Travis leaned against the wall beside the door, waiting for the young doctor to go out. Not five minutes later, after the loud roar of thunder, rain started to fall hard. 

The door opened automatically when Levi got out. He took a few steps forward and watched the rain from under the covered entrance. 

Slowly approaching, Travis stood behind him. “I forgot my umbrella too.”

Jumping in surprise, Levi let out a load of curses from the fright. Travis watched him with a small smile, almost enjoying it.

“Travis! What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you,” he simply replied.

Sighing, a serious look on his face, Travis knew what he was going to say. “I can’t Travis, I told you!”

“Just, hear me out!”

Visibly torn, Levi tried to come up with an excuse to leave. “I have to meet Jo at the apartment, she’s waiting for me. I’m…”

Just before he could apologize, Travis knew what to do to catch the intern’s attention. Taking a few steps forward, he stepped under the rain.

“Travis! You’re crazy, come back here!”

“Hear me out first!”

“Alright, but be quick or you’ll catch a cold!”

Now that he succeeded, Travis waited, thinking thoroughly about what to say first. Above them, the sky was rumbling. 

“I know you probably heard that already, but I’m sorry for how your ex treated you.”

Levi didn’t say a word, he was used to having his friend pitying him, yet, when he looked at Travis he hardly saw pity in his eyes.

“I would like to say something like, ‘if I had known you before you met him, I never would’ve treated you the way he did’. But when you met Nico, I was still mourning the death of my husband and I was forbidding myself to move on.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Levi said, pain etching his features.

“It took me long enough to finally move and be happy. It was hard because Michael was an amazing man and I almost forgot that not all men are like him. And, knowing that, I couldn’t understand how you, who had a terrible relationship, couldn’t move on when you should want that desperately. But I get it now.”

“Do you?” Levi asked.

Travis nodded in answer. “You gave him everything you had and yet he barely reciprocated. You held on to someone who didn’t love you because, in the end, he made you feel like you didn’t deserve him, that you were not worthy of his love if you couldn’t understand him.” 

When Levi bend his head down, Travis knew he hit the bull’s eye, but a part of him didn’t like to make him feel bad, so he decided to crack a joke. “Well, I’m sorry to break the news but your ex is a dickhead.”

Levi was aware that the firefighter wanted to lift the mood, but he couldn’t help but laugh at that. Throwing his head back, he let out his first real laugh since his breakup and, men, how Travis loved that sound.

“That guy didn’t deserve you! Not the other way around. Do you know how I know that?”

Levi shook his head, a coy smile spreading his lips.

“I saw it in your smile. The kind of smiles only the most generous people have. There’s no denying it Dr. Schmitt, you are kind, generous and incredibly cute, and I want to date you. I want to date the man who makes my knees weak with one look, who makes my heart flutter with one smile. I want to make you happy because you deserve it. And I’ll keep repeating that every day if that’s what it takes for you to believe me.”

Silence fell over them once again. Levi looked at Travis, tears dripping on his cheeks, a broad smile on his face. He let out a soft chuckle before stepping under the rain, closer to Travis until their faces were inches apart.

“Maybe we could start with a date?” He asked, making the other man laugh.

Putting a hand on Levi’s cheek, Travis dared to ask. “Can I?”

Levi knew what Travis wanted. He nodded, letting out a soft squeal when the firefighter’s thin lips captured his in a languid kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you loved it :)
> 
> Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about this couple, I am planning on writing more stories about them.


End file.
